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From the AP:President Bush, seeking to blunt international criticism of the U.S. record on climate change, on Thursday urged 15 major nations to agree by the end of next year on a global emissions goal for reducing greenhouse gases.

Bush called for the first in a series of meetings to begin this fall, bringing together countries identified as major emitters of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. The list would include the United States, China, India and major European countries.

The president outlined his proposal in a speech ahead of next week's summit in Germany of leading industrialized nations, where global warming is to be a major topic and Bush will be on the spot.

Developments in the civilian nuclear energy sector in Australia are coming fast and furious and it's hard to keep up sometimes -- unless you read Nuclear Australia every day. I know I can't afford not to.

Last Fall, I spent a couple of days at a conference in Las Vegas where I sat in on a discussion of how to use free content to drive purchase of paid content. That session was run by an editor from Fleet Street Publications (FSP), a publisher of investing newsletters, and the free vehicle they used to drive paid subscriptions was something called The Daily Reckoning.

After listening for a few minutes, it became pretty clear to me that FSP was one of the few newsletter publishers that had a real handle on what it was going to take to compete in a world that was awash in free content.

From yesterday's Washington Post:Under plans already announced, China intends to spend $50 billion to build 32 nuclear plants by 2020. Some analysts say the country will build 300 more by the middle of the century. That's not much less than the generating power of all the nuclear plants in the world today.

By that point, the Chinese economy is expected to be the world's largest, and the idea that it may get most of its electricity from nuclear fission is being met with both optimism and concern. Nuclear power plants, unlike those that run on fossil fuels, release few greenhouse gases. But they produce waste that can be dangerously radioactive for thousands of years.But unlike greenhouse gas emissions, used nuclear fuel can easily be easily managed for an indefinite period of time. Meanwhile, techniques to sequester carbon have yet to be perfected.

Here's hoping China builds every last one of those nuclear plants, and maybe a few more.

Greenpeace International recently issued a report titled “The Economics of Nuclear Power” (pdf). The four analysts (commissioned by Greenpeace) pulled cost information from 12 recent studies, analyzed how they differed, and even got into the breakdown and makeup of nuclear’s cost components. They discussed all the different reactor technologies and kept Greenpeace’s anti-nuclear spin to a minimum. Facts are facts and writers should not have to spin facts to bolster their arguments.

With that being said, I have a few problems with the study. There are some contradictions in the report; it is a bit careless with the data; and the authors apparently have not fully thought out their alternative solutions.

Contradictions in the ReportFrom the press release:A new report published by a team of international energy and economic experts…conclusively proves that nuclear power is neither a practical nor economically viable solution to tackling climate change.I read the report before I read the pre…

While we've got a skeleton crew working at NEI's offices in Washington, D.C., a significant portion of our staff has spent this week in Miami working at the 2007 Nuclear Energy Assembly, the annual meeting of the nuclear energy industry.

Here's an excerpt from Skip's remarks that should give you a flavor of where things are headed:Discussion and debate over how to address climate change is dominating the policy agenda in Washington and across the country. The Nuclear Energy Institute has never taken a position on climate issues but we will, over the next several months, be working with t…

One of my colleagues at NEI just handed me the following statement from actor Paul Newman. Newman toured Entergy's Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant earlier this week, and after the completion of the tour, he issued the following statement which has also been distributed by Entergy and NEI:Statement of Paul Newman

Indian Point tour of May 21, 2007

I recently toured the Indian Point nuclear plant and I expected to be shown safety and security at the plant. But what I saw exceeded my expectations. No Army or Navy base I’ve ever visited has been more armored and I couldn’t walk 30 feet inside the plant without swiping my key card to go through another security check point.

There was security at every turn, and the commitment to safety is clear. One worker told me his family lives very close to the plant, downwind even, and he is very comfortable because of the plant's commitment to safety.

During my tour of the plant, I was amazed that a generator that is the size of two or three ro…

Here's a summary of what went on in the energy markets last week:Electricity prices were decreasing in the East and mixed throughout the rest of the country (see pages 1 & 2).Gas prices rose at the Henry Hub $0.05 to $7.68 / MMBtu (see page 4).Ten reactors were in refueling outages with three finishing last week. Six reactors were down for maintenance last week (see pages 2 & 3).Uranium prices rose to $122 / lb U3O8 and $125 / lb U3O8 according to TradeTech and Ux Consulting. SO2 prices have increased by 44 percent since the middle of April. (See page 7 for uranium and SO2 prices.)For the podcast click here. For the report click here (pdf). It is also located on NEI's Nuclear Statistics webpage.

For more from 10 Downing Street, click here. Related news, here and here.

UPDATE: Nice quote from Darling:“To say no to nuclear and there are many people saying no to new wind farms, that’s daft, it would needlessly expose the country,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning. “I came to this as a nuclear sceptic, but the facts have changed.”Indeed they have.

When told she was going to meet a co-founder of Greenpeace, reporter Alicia Colon wasn't terribly excited:When I was asked to meet the cofounder of Greenpeace, my eyes rolled up a bit at the thought of meeting someone I assumed was an environmental militant.She was in for a big surprise once she started talking to Patrick Moore.

The Energy Information Administration released yesterday its annual International Energy Outlook for 2007. Here are some highlights from the press release: World marketed energy consumption is projected to grow by 57 percent between 2004 and 2030....Coal consumption, which grows an average annual rate of 2.2 percent, is the fastest-growing energy source worldwide in the IEO2007 reference case projection, which assumes that existing laws and policies remain in effect through 2030 notwithstanding concerns related to the rising level of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions....Higher fossil fuel prices, energy security concerns, improved reactor designs, and environmental considerations are expected to improve prospects for nuclear power capacity in many parts of the world, and a number of countries are expected to build new nuclear power plants. World nuclear capacity is projected to rise from 368 gigawatts in 2004 to 481 gigawatts in 2030....In the IEO2007 reference case, which does …

Looks like this is an idea with some staying power: Another multinational oil company is investigating the use of nuclear energy to extract petroleum from Alberta's oil sands. This time, the name involved is Royal Dutch Shell.

From the TVA (release not yet online):The Tennessee Valley Authority restarted Unit 1 at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in North Alabama today, completing one of the most extensive recovery efforts in the nuclear industry for an operating plant.

TVA received permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission May 15 to restart the reactor. TVA told the NRC on May 9 that it has the ability to operate and maintain all three units at Browns Ferry safely, that work to restart and operate Unit 1 is complete and that pre-start up testing was successful.

The restart completes the recovery effort within the five-year plan approved by the TVA Board in 2002, and at the projected cost of about $1.8 billion.

“Returning Browns Ferry Unit 1 to our nuclear fleet gives TVA another dependable, safe and emissions-free source of generation to help meet the growing demand for power in the Tennessee Valley,” said TVA President and CEO Tom Kilgore. “The successful recovery of TVA’s third unit at Browns Ferry is…

Summer is just around the corner, which means that an old anti-nuke talking point that was first used about a year ago is getting trotted out in the press again.

From the International Herald Tribune:But there is a less well-known side of nuclear power: It requires great amounts of cool water to keep reactors operating at safe temperatures. That is worrying if the rivers and reservoirs which many power plants rely on for water are hot or depleted because of steadily rising air temperatures.

If temperatures soar above average this summer - let alone steadily increase in years to come, as many scientists predict - many nuclear plants could face a dilemma: Either cut output or break environmental rules, in either case hurting their reputation with customers and the public.For details on why this is not an insurmountable problem, click here and here for posts from our archives. Here's an excerpt from one of those posts by my friend Lisa Stiles:It doesn't matter if you're burni…

One theme we've hit on a lot since we started NEI Nuclear Notes is the fact that billions of people in the developing world are in need of electricity, and getting them that electricity in a way that's both affordable and sustainable is an incredible challenge for science, engineering and international public policy.

Case in point, India:GURGAON, India — This suburb south of New Delhi is where the fruits of India’s economic advance are on full display: sprawling malls, skyscrapers housing India’s acclaimed software companies, condominiums with names as fanciful as Nirvana Country.

But this fashionable address of the new India is also a portrait of ambition bumping up against reality, namely an electricity crisis that represents one of the major hurdles to India’s ability to hoist itself into the front ranks of the global economy.

Look up at the tops of buildings, and on any given day, you are likely to find three, four or six smokestacks poking out of each, blowing gray-black plu…

From an Edmonton Journal story on environmentalists who are now supporting nuclear energy:[D]uring a recent visit to Edmonton, world famous Kenyan paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey also said he'd welcome nuclear power to Africa. People there are energy starved, burning the forest cover to cook meals, he said. If the developed world would help them by building nuclear reactors, they would prevent the release of greenhouse gases and provide many people with a stable energy source to build their lives around, he said.I'm sure the folks in South Africa who are working on the PBMR heard that request loud and clear.

From the Boston Globe:Activists released a new report Friday indicating Vermont has more radioactive nuclear waste per capita than any state in the nation, which they said underscores the need for approval of a climate change bill that would tax the Vermont Yankee plant.Which led Ruth Sponsler to respond:Vermont Yankee's spent nuclear fuel is contained and hidden away where it hurts no one. If there's more "nuclear waste" per capita in Vermont than in other states, that means that Vermont is releasing less fossil fuel waste to the open atmosphere. That means Vermont residents breathe less sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and nitrous oxides per capita - - - because nuclear energy is substituting for fossil fuel generation.Here's hoping somebody's editor at the Boston Globe reads Ruth's response. For a previous post on anti-nuke efforts to increase taxes on Vermont Yankee, click here.

With U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair set to leave the scene in a few weeks, some folks are speculating on what areas his presumptive successor, Gordon Brown, might break with the current PM. As it turns out, new nuclear build is one of area where there won't be any policy change at all. From the Guardian:Gordon Brown is to face down sceptics in his party and give the go-ahead for a new generation of nuclear power stations, which will be built across the country.

In a move immediately condemned by environmental organisations, the Prime Minister-elect will give the green light to the plans that will show that he is backing Tony Blair's support of the nuclear industry.

Boosted by a new poll, which shows Brown pulling ahead of David Cameron on the issue of competence to run the country, the Chancellor will signal his support this week for a dramatic renewal of the nuclear power programme that will see the building of up to eight new stations, possibly within 15 years.Thanks to Logi…

From TPM Cafe:the global warming issue is far graver than the issue of nuclear power plant waste. Therefore I think we should follow our priorities and promote nuclear energy plants as well as solar and wind. Because I am skeptical that we can get to 100 percent green energy production...

It's an environmentalists' predicament - but it's obvious which of the two choices, global warming or nuclear waste, poses greater risk to the planet. We have met the enemy and he is us – environmentalists have prevented nuclear plants from being built in the past. Has this resulted in CO2 emissions? Probably. I will say that if we can have 100 percent electricity generation from green power (solar, wind, geothermal,) that would be peachy with me, but I am skeptical it could be done.Sounds like there's some common ground here. We're ready to talk if you are.

One of the common claims that anti-nukes like to make about nuclear energy is that it can't be expanded quickly enough to have an impact on constraining greenhouse gas emissions. One person who doesn't believe that claim is David Barnett. From the Canberra Times:Alternative energy can only be peripheral. We do not face up to our real choice because the Greens are watermelon green on the outside and deep Trotskyite red on the inside. Their prime concern is the evil of capitalism, and they command the media.For proof of the claim that alternative or renewable energy can only be peripheral, click here for the latest DKos diary from NNadir. I've added boldface to the appropriate figures Let's do the numbers.

Here are the forms of primary energy that are not fossil fuel based available and tested and therefore measurable. In parentheses I am going to put a date off the top of my head indicating when that form of non-fossil fuel energy provided energy to the grid, if I k…

I wanted to take a moment to note that one of NEI's best friends in the blogosphere, Pat Cleary of Shop Floor, the blog of the National Association of Manufacturers, will be leaving NAM effective today to join Fleishman-Hillard as Director of Digital Public Affairs.

From the start, Pat and his colleagues at NAM Blog have understood the critical role nuclear energy plays in the nation's energy mix, and how it supports American manufacturing. He's a great blog buddy, and everyone at NEI wishes him nothing but success in his new role at Fleishman-Hillard.

Two items out of China caught my eye this morning. First, here's a report from XFN-Asia:China's uranium demand is expected to grow 4-6 times by 2020, as the country increases its annual installed nuclear power capacity to 40 mln kilowatts from 9 mln at present, a government official said.My guess is that a lot of that uranium is going to be coming from Australia, where I'm sure our Aussie friends are going to be happy to cash the checks.

Next, there's this statement from China's Vice Premier, Zeng Peiyan:China should further develop the new generation nuclear power technology to ensure the sustainable development of the economy, Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan said on Tuesday.

Zeng made the remarks when inspecting the 10MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) in Tsinghua University.

"Developing the technology of generating power with HTGR is significant for promoting the country's innovative capability, improving the energy structure and building up a…

CASEnergy co-chair Patrick Moore sat down for a recent Q&A session with New York Resident. Here's an excerpt:In your work, have you found that people are resistant to expanding nuclear power?

PM: No, in fact, in Ontario, a decision was made over a year ago to build new nuclear. In the United States, there are now 34 nuclear power plants on the drawing boards – most of them in the Southeast where the population is growing most rapidly – but I understand there’s talk of a new nuclear plant at Nine Mile Point in upstate New York. So, yes, there’s a great deal of public acceptance. Fully 70 percent of the American public supports nuclear energy. The fact that there is a small and extremely vociferous anti-nuclear movement makes it seem as though there’s inordinate opposition, but it’s not the case if you look at the actual polling. Even in Westchester County, where the Indian Point reactor is, there is a clear majority in favor, according to a recent poll just a few weeks ago (by …

The MIT Technology and Culture Forum sponsored a recent forum on the future of nuclear energy on campus back in March:ABOUT THE PANEL DISCUSSION:Nuclear energy will emerge either as a solution to the twin crises of global warming and a secure energy supply, or global catastrophe. Within this panel at least, there doesn’t seem to be a comfortable middle ground.

MIT’s Andrew Kadak, one of the two speakers arguing the necessity of nuclear energy, advances the policy recommendations formulated by a group of fellow researchers. Given the fact of global warming, we must admit a “second inconvenient truth,” says Kadak -- that all non-CO2 emitting energy sources must be used, and to make a real difference in the near term, we must turn first and foremost to nuclear energy and conservation.

Right now, 20% of U.S. electricity flows from nuclear power stations, but there have been no new orders for plants since 1975. The current administration hopes to spur interest, through its Energy Policy Act …

Investor's Business Daily is calling for a comprehensive national energy policy that must include nuclear energy:The White House also should be taking the argument for increased nuclear power to Congress and the public. Atomic energy now provides nearly 20% of our electricity needs, but that's far less than what it could be delivering. Nuclear power accounts for about 80% of France's electricity, 55% of Belgium's, half of Sweden's and 40% of Switzerland's and South Korea's. Why are we behind?

Atomic energy makes sense. It is efficient. It takes only 0.0007 of a pound of uranium in a commercial reactor to burn a 100-watt light bulb for one year. That same bulb would require 876 pounds of coal or 508 pounds of oil to get the same results, the Nuclear Energy Institute says.

And it is clean. There are no harmful emissions created when nuclear material produces power. Unlike plants fueled by fossil fuels, nuclear plants don't blow smoke when making electricity…

Today, U.K.-based engineer Tim Jervis decided to crunch the numbers himself when it comes to construction, and he isn't impressed with the anti-nuke claims:Let's be harsh again and pick 3 tonnes of CO2 for a tonne of steel. So we have another 200,000 tonnes of CO2 from the steel, or 200 million kg of CO2 from the steel to make a 1 GW nuclear power station.

Sum the steel and concrete CO2 figures: 300 million kg of CO2. If we had been conservative, that would have been 100 million kg CO2.

Energy from a 1 GW nuclear power station

If the power station produces power for a conservative 40 years, and runs for a pathetic 60% of the time (thus we're allowing for main…

In a speech in Minnesota yesterday about national energy policy, Senator Norm Coleman had an interesting way of selling Americans on the benefits of nuclear energy. Smart Politics reports:Coleman says nuclear energy will need to be a part of the U.S. becoming less dependent on foreign oil. His best line of the morning: "The French aren't braver than us, and they're not afraid of nuclear energy." Coleman says he was a firm believer in Yucca Mountain as a means to dispose of nuclear waste - a problem, the Senator recognizes, as the Majority Leader (Harry Reid) of the Senate hails from Nevada.

Earlier today, Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) gave a speech at the Detroit Economic Club entitled, "Strengthening Our Economy & Protecting Our Environment: An Update from Capitol Hill". The Wall Street Journal reports:At a Detroit Economic Club luncheon, Mr. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he is determined to craft an economy-wide "cap-and-trade" policy to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions and that it is time to ask whether the federal mileage regime, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, "does, will or can do the job it was meant to address."

Instead of focusing on CAFE, Mr. Dingell in his prepared remarks proposed crafting legislation that spreads the emissions-regulation burden "evenly and equally," among several industries, including oil companies and electric utilities.Standing by on a transcript from Rep. Dingell's office. Meanwhile, back in Washington...

I was kicking around the Web this morning when I came across the Web site for Texas Business for Clean Air. When you take a look inside their Executive Summary, you see a lot of support for clean air energy: Any future power plants beyond this should use newer and cleaner technologies such as IGCC (gasified coal), nuclear power and renewable sources, such as wind and solar power.

[...]

We support nuclear power as a clean, safe alternative for generating base loadpower. While we take no position on the Texas Pacific/KKR/TXU deal, we commend TXU for ordering nuclear power plant equipment and starting to prepare for the next generation of nuclear power.Looks like it's worth a bookmark.

At a speech last week at the Greater Houston Partnership, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg laid out his vision for a national energy policy, and had some interesting things to say about nuclear energy:“In New York, we are pursuing every option to produce more clean power. We have begun working with the local utilities and private energy developers to expand the amount of clean energy that is generated and distributed, and our plan for 2030 includes new incentives for the production of renewable energy. We’re also committed to protecting existing clean energy sources, including the nuclear plant that helps power parts of our city and suburbs. This is a good example of people not facing reality.

“There are a lot of people who want to shut down the nuclear plant, but they have never offered any realistic alternatives – even as they at the same time want to fight global warming. You just can’t have it both ways!Of course, the nuclear plant he's talking about is Indian Point, and as f…

Just got the follwing note from one of my superiors at NEI."Real Time" has undergone some guest changes in the true fashion of the show's name and Patrick Moore is no longer on tonight's lineup. We will endeavor to reschedule his appearance before the end of this season's shows.Bummer, but that's show biz.

From Newsmax:Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Wednesday that America's current energy policy needs revamping with more focus placed on alternative forms of energy.

"We need to increase our technology of hybrid cars," McCain told reporters after a campaign stop at a restaurant in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth. "We need to increase our use of ethanol and all kinds of alternative fuels, and we need to go back to nuclear power."For previous posts on Senator McCain from our archives, click here.

Here's a clip from BusinessNorth.com:Greenhouse gas emissions from coal and oil fired power plants have people like liberal Democratic Representative Frank Boyle of Superior switching sides in favor of nuclear power. "If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be here advocating for the lifting of the ban on nuclear construction, I'd say you were crazy." Boyle says the danger of climate change has future generations facing catastrophe.

"The time has some for nuclear proliferation in terms of energy plants versus continuing to fire up those generators with coal and gas and oil and produce a climatic effect of carbon loading the upper atmosphere that could ultimately kill u…

Here's a summary of what went on in the energy markets last week: Electricity price changes were mixed last week (see pages 1 & 2).Gas prices rose at the Henry Hub $0.17 to $7.60 / MMBtu (see page 4).SO2 allowance offer prices have been increasing over the past four weeks to $540.00 / ton (see page 7).According to EIA’s STEO, preliminary estimates show that February residential electricity consumption was nearly 17 percent higher than in the same month last year due to colder temperatures. However, an assumed return to normal summer temperatures should keep total U.S. electricity consumption growing at a relatively normal rate of 1.5 percent this year and 1.9 percent in 2008.For the report click here (pdf). It is also located on NEI's Nuclear Statistics webpage.

The new tax increase on Vermont Yankee that we wrote about earlier this week passed the state senate:Without a word of debate or even a roll call, the Senate voted Wednesday for a bill designed to encourage energy efficiency and renewable energy, along with an increase in the state's tax on Vermont Yankee to pay for it.

The tax on Vermont Yankee's electric generation would claim $25 million from the nuclear power plant's owner, Entergy Corp., between 2009 and 2012. The House is expected to vote on the bill Friday, when it's likely to face debate.

Though the tax is significantly less than a $37 million profits tax the Senate previously proposed, the company and the governor remain opposed to it.

"This is still a case of a deal not being a deal," Entergy spokesman Brian Cosgrove said. "How do we know what's next?"

David O'Brien, commissioner of the state Department of Public Service, called the tax "irresponsible," and said it would hurt…

From DOE (not yet online):The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Secretary Clay Sell today announced that DOE will provide up to $60 million, over two years (FY’07-’08), to engage industry experts in the conceptual design of the initial nuclear fuel recycling center and advanced recycling reactor as part of President Bush’s Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). Studies from this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will include scope, schedule and cost information of the proposed facilities and will also identify technological needs that will be used to inform, and effectively and efficiently implement GNEP’s Research & Development (R&D) activities.

“Nuclear energy is a safe, environmentally sensitive, and affordable way to meet the world’s growing need for baseload electricity. By further engaging engineering and design experts in the nuclear industry, we can spur radical development of new nuclear recycling technologies that are more proliferation-resistant and e…

From the Daily Press (Hamptom Roads):A growing Virginia is demanding more electricity, and nuclear plants are a reasonable way to provide the power. And it's better that that juice should come from in-state than that Virginia should depend on out-of-state sources that may be less reliable or efficient than Dominion. Additional generation capacity at home will reduce the nation's reliance on imported natural gas.

And anything that will reduce Virginia's reliance on dirty, noxious, coal-fired plants to meet its power needs is a blessing.

Today's Orange County Register is taking a look at a refueling outage at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

What's different about this profile is that the reporter actually took the time to talk to a pair of employees at the plant:Bob Ashe-Everest is a supervising engineer in the Nuclear Fuel Services group. Randall Granaas is a refueling engineer. For those months, Bob takes the day shift. Randall works at night. It's imperative that someone from their group be on hand as the delicate dance – offloading spent fuel, uploading fresh fuel – unfolds.

[...]

Ashe-Everest has worked at San Onofre for 31 years. Married, two kids, lives in Laguna Hills, is on the city traffic commission. Likes to go boating. Is team captain for the Orange County-to-San Diego bike race that benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Is handy under the hood of a car.

Granaas has worked here for 16 years. Married, lives in Dana Point, joined the Navy with the express desire of becoming a nucl…

With the French presidential election over, the task of governing is now on the shoulders of the newly-elected President, Nicolas Sarkozy. And when it comes to energy security, it seems as if he appreciates the role nuclear energy plays both in France and around the world.

Why do I say that? Back in April 2006, Bruno Comby, President of Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy, sent a questionnaire to all 12 candidates for President, and the most positive response was received back from the Sarkozy campaign.

The following is an excerpt from an English translation of the response that Sarkozy's campaign sent to EFN:I am perfectly aware of the fact that renewable energies, in their present state of development, cannot seriously hope to replace nuclear energy.

[...]

We should obviously continue to support the development of renewable energies; but at least for the medium term they will be nothing more than a rather small contribution to our energy supply. And I can not accept the idea of …

From Defense News:The prospect of the U.S. Navy once again using nuclear energy to propel its larger surface warships edged a bit closer to reality May 3 with a push from a powerful congressional subcommittee.

“We are requiring that new classes of major surface combatants are designed and constructed with integrated nuclear power systems,” Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., chairman of the House Armed Services seapower subcommittee, said during the panel’s markup of the 2008 defense authorization bill.

Taylor’s predecessor as chairman, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., echoed the call.“Nuclear propulsion is simply the right thing to do,” said Bartlett, now the panel’s ranking minority member.

Both lawmakers have strongly supported nuclear power as a means to reduce the military’s dependence on oil for fuel. At their request, the Navy produced a study on the viability of re-introducing nuclear power into surface ships — a capability the service stopped buying in the mid-1970s.

The reporter said that there is a ...[N]uance creeping into the language of some environmentalists who are still far from sold on nuclear power. Even David Suzuki, the public face and living patron saint of the Canadian green movement, has raised eyebrows by declaring in at least two broadcast interviews that he doesn't take a "knee-jerk" position against nuclear energy, although he remains, for now at least, firmly opposed.

In an email exchange with Maclean's, Suzuki explained his position.

"I don't say unequivocally that nuclear is not an option. It may very well be sometime in the future," he wrote. "But right now, I think it's nuts to even suggest nuclear.It seems that I have heard a lot of similar talk south of the border. Antis want to appear to be open to reason. But to say that "it's nuts to even…

From the Globe and Mail:The two companies that operate nuclear power plants in Ontario are seeking the green light to build up to eight new reactors, a far more ambitious plan than that touted by the McGuinty government.

Energy Minister Dwight Duncan said last year that a large portion of the $40-billion it plans to spend addressing the province's looming electricity shortage would be earmarked for refurbishing existing nuclear reactors. He said only two new reactors would be built.

However, Bruce Power and Ontario Power Generation have each applied to Canada's nuclear safety regulator to build four new reactors. Company officials played down their expansion plans, saying they merely give them the option of building new reactors or refurbishing existing ones.

But the spectre of up to eight new reactors is fuelling concerns among nuclear-energy opponents that the province will be much more dependent on nuclear power than previously believed.Interesting. As always, this is somethi…

From Der Spiegel:The fact that the German government renounced nuclear energy in 2000 and pledged to take its last plant off the grid by 2020 might lead you to think that it would scale back its nuclear research programs. What, after all, is the point in spending money on developing a technology which is on its way out? However, the current administration seems reluctant to give up nuclear quite yet -- at least not totally.

German Research Minister Annette Schavan raised eyebrows this week with her announcement to DER SPIEGEL that she would increase research spending between 2008 and 2011 by up to €40 million. Most of the money has been earmarked for young researchers working on nuclear waste storage and nuclear security issues.

[...]

Meanwhile, over at the Green Party -- which governed together with the Chancellor Gerhard Schröder when parliament approved the phaseout -- party boss Reinhard Bütikofer said he viewed the plan as an open provocation. "Each euro which is spent on dead-…

Just off the wire:Duke Energy announced today that, subject to board approval, it intends to purchase Southern Company’s 500-megawatt interest in the proposed William States Lee III nuclear power project, making the plant’s total output available to electric customers in the Carolinas.

Demand in Duke Energy Carolinas’ service area is projected to grow by more than 6,000 megawatts by 2021. The two-unit Lee Nuclear plant proposed for Cherokee County, S.C., could come into service by 2016 with a capacity of more than 2,200 megawatts. Under a joint ownership agreement signed with Southern Company last March, the Atlanta-based company would have been entitled to 500 megawatts of the plant’s output.

Southern Company said it is withdrawing from the Lee Nuclear project to explore and focus on energy options within its service territory, including the two proposed new nuclear units at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, Ga. Duke Energy management will recommend to the company’s board of directors at i…

That's the question that one progressive activist at The Irregular Times is asking:Considering the current climate crisis, it seems clear to me that now is not a good time for shutting down the nuclear power industry. It seems to me that effort needs to be focused on reducing the role of fossil fuels and other carbon emitting sources of energy.Wow, that's not the sort of conclusion I'd expect out of a blog like that one -- but as we've seen before, these are interesting times.

Our new friend at The Irregular Times says he's keeping an open mind on the issue, so stop by and invite him to join a conversation with us. As always, please be polite.

From the AP:The Asian Development Bank may end its long-standing rejection of nuclear energy and embrace it as a green power source for rapidly expanding Asia, the bank's energy chief said Friday.

The ADB, which was founded four decades ago to fight poverty through economic growth, has a standing policy of not advocating atomic power out of concerns of safety and possible conversion to weapons use.

But under increased pressure to promote alternatives to the fossil fuels that fan global warming, the ADB is considering the use of nuclear power under a new energy policy to be adopted in three months, WooChong Um, ADB director of energy, told The Associated Press in an interview at the ADB's annual meeting.

"Now we have an environment were a lot of climate change issues are becoming a significant and nuclear power is quite positive in that context," Um said. "So we are actually debating it internally."Interesting, especially as much of the world's most recent …

They had a presidential debate in France last night, and the moderator asked the two candidates how much of France's electricity was generated by nuclear power:Both candidates stumbled on the question of nuclear power. [Nicolas] Sarkozy, 52, said nuclear plants produce 50 percent of the country's electricity. [Segolene] Royal put the number at 17 percent. Last year, 78 percent of French power production was nuclear, according to the industry ministry. Nuclear accounts for about 17 percent of total energy consumption.For more on the French nuclear program, click here.

From the New York Times:The world’s established and emerging powers will need to divert substantially from today’s main energy sources within a few decades to limit centuries of rising temperatures and seas driven by the buildup of heat-trapping emissions in the air, the top body studying climate change is poised to conclude.

In an all-night session capping four days of talks, economists, scientists, and government officials from more than 100 countries agreed in Bangkok early on Friday local time on most sections of a report outlining ways to limit such emissions, led by carbon dioxide, an unavoidable byproduct of burning coal and oil.

[...]

To stop the rise, the report’s authors said, countries would need to expand adoption of existing policies that can cut emissions - like a fuel tax or the binding limits set by the Kyoto Protocol - while also boosting research seeking new large-scale energy options. This work would include pushing for advances in solar and nuclear power.Look for more…

One of the things that's been most fun about blogging in the nuclear industry has been seeing the kind of success many of my newfound colleagues are enjoying. One of those colleagues is Rod Adams, better known as "Atomic Rod" to his new BFF, ex-MTV VJ Adam Curry.

Click here (MP3) for a direct link to the show. Rod's appearance comes toward the second half of the program. And thanks to Adam for giving our industry a fair shake, something we're not quite used to as of yet.

From Maclean's:Stephen Harper would seem an unlikely pitchman for nuclear power. When the Prime Minister launches into his familiar spiel about Canada as an emerging "energy superpower," we all think we know what he's talking about - he's an Alberta MP, after all, and his father worked for Imperial Oil. Yet in a key speech last summer in London, his most gleeful boast was not about record oil profits, but about soaring uranium prices. "There aren't many hotter commodities, so to speak, in the resource markets these days," Harper joked to the Canada-U.K. Chamber of Commerce crowd. Then, noting that Britain is among those countries poised to begin buying new reactors for the first time in decades, he added: "We'll hope you remember that Canada is not just a source of uranium; we also manufacture state-of-the-art CANDU reactor technology, and we're world leaders in safe management of fuel waste."

From the Charlotte Observer:Duke Energy Corp. Chief Executive Jim Rogers said environmentalists and Congress should support nuclear energy or risk failure in battling global warming.

The strident talk from Rogers, one of the first utility executives to call for regulating carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources, comes as Duke plans a nuclear project in Cherokee County, S.C., estimated to cost up to $6 billion.

It also comes at a time when the Democratically controlled Congress considers how to tax or otherwise regulate industrial carbon dioxide emissions.

Coal-fired power plants are a major source of carbon dioxide, blamed by climate scientists as a cause of global warming, which threatens to melt polar ice and cause flooding, among other environmental disasters.

Nuclear energy, on the other hand, has zero emissions, and the President Bush-backed Energy Policy Act of 2005 provides financial incentives for utilities to start building plants again. But where…

From the Wilmington Star:GE Energy's nuclear division announced a deal Tuesday to build parts of the core infrastructure of a new nuclear plant tentatively planned for Virginia.

Terms of the deal with Dominion Resources were kept secret. But Andy White, head of GE Nuclear, said the agreement was a boon for its Wilmington headquarters, where much of the design, engineering, procurement and budgeting for the project would be done.

"This is great for Wilmington," White said.Congrats to everyone involved. Just another step in the process on the way to the next new nuclear power plant.